Came here on a Saturday night. The bar filled up slowly (and the bartender did say it was surprisingly slow). I had a really tasty old fashioned. Service was friendly and prompt. They have a nice pool table (only 75 cents a game) and the cues aren't completely awful like a lot of dive-y bars. They also have a few arcade games and darts. We chatted with some people. Played a few rounds of pool and overall had a relaxed and fun Saturday night. My only complaint is a few people at the bar seemed a little over served and would come over slurring their speech and being rather annoying. It didn't seem like the bartenders had much of a limit for the customers... which isn't totally unexpected for a dive bar. read more

Casual comfortable atmosphere. Good wine and beer. People very friendly. Had a great time!

Great go-to dive bar! Love it! It's super chill and all the bartenders are really friendly. Chris is always down to cater to any of your drink requests. They're open every day till 2am which means I'll be here every night after work :) read more

I wasn't stoked to hear that this bar was opening with a new name and a new remodel, but I have to say that after dropping by for a few drinks they have a new fan. Cool decor, convenient location (for me), and the bartender with the shark tattoo on his forearm had great chat and was super knowledgable when I asked him about the cocktails (what is it with this city and the fact that I can find great cocktails and talented bartenders in every little bar I go to?). Didn't have any food, but based on the service and experience alone I'd say this place warrants an easy five stars. read more

Preston the bartender made our night. He was friendly, funny, respectful, and quick. He was working so hard and It was so evident. The bar was cool but Preston is the reason I will be bringing more friends back! read more

Fantastic in every way! Great selection of fresh cocktails and craft beer, they play a lot of Black Keys, have an array of games for entertainment, and the owners/bartenders are warm and friendly. Side note, I left my phone there one night, and the owner had set it aside for me and handed it over as soon as I walked in in a mild state of panic. Highly recommend! read more

Went to sidecar for my first time last night with my girl friend. It was great! There was a live band playing some funky jams. the bartenders were quick to take our drink order. They had a nice selection of maybe 8 or so local beers on tap at great prices ($5.50 a pint or so). The crowd was cool. I LOVED that they had a wide variety of bar games: Ms Pac Man, Buck Hunter, Jurassic Park pinball, ski ball, Foosball, pool, darts... The works! It was super fun. Can't wait to take the hubs here. read more

Great spot! Really good drinks, with polite and responsible bartenders. Try the Sidecar it's good even if you don't like sweet drink. One of the few places in the area with Coors Banquet on tap. Always great arcade/bar type games. Safe location and plenty of parking. read more

Big fan of Sidecar. Big fan. Such a fan, that I hosted my birthday party here (well after Skateworld, of course). Best part: OFF ROAD! Yes. This is my favorite arcade game in the world. Rare to find, but they have it here! Second best part: Great cocktails! I actually found this place looking up speakeasies in San Diego. I was surprised to find one in Linda Vista. The interior is not over done, hip booths, open air windows, arcade games throughout, but not one of those arcade places. The bartenders are super friendly and helpful. Big recommend. read more

It's a sports bar with arcade games, board games, TVs, and a pool table. Plenty of parking. Free popcorn in the back of the bar. But there were used glasses everywhere waiting to be cleaned. Ordered a vodka lemonade and got a glass of lemon flavored water instead for $7. Totally unacceptable. read more

This bar friggin rocks. The best staff. Literally. The best babes in the business. I had my birthday party here and they had live music and were so accommodating to anything I needed. They do rad things like open mic night and trivia and have an awesome beer list and amaaaaazing craft cocktails and if you don't want to come here you're dumb! read more

They were great and helpful I would come again to this bar the staff was very friendly and the environment was great!

Cool spot in the unassuming neighborhood of Linda Vista. Very clean and spacious with a chill vibe, and it comes with AMPLE PARKING (!!!). Good selection of beers (~$7) and lots of games for our inner child (or competitive drunk collegiate). Haven't had a chance to sample the menu yet (or not sure if they even have one). Close proximity to USD will probably make it a pretty popular spot. Congrats to the owners (of Regal Beagle / Seagull) on their new venture! Will definitely be back for more with my classmates! read more

This bar has it all - darts, pool, pinball. Friendly staff (thanks to our bartender, Chase!) good drinks and good prices. We will definitely be back. read more

Best bar around. The staff is always extremely friendly and attentive. If you're looking for a good neighborhood bar, this is it.

Still going here, meets my criteria, five stars! I'm very glad they don't let the smokers pollute the indoor bar area that opens up to the outside. read more

The bearded dudes who work here are the best. Best beer. Best nibbles. Best vibes. Wide beer menu. Lots of seating. Many games. They answer the phone with an enthusiastic "hello!" read more

This was another unicorn meat situation. Nothing on their webpage or facebook page said anything about unicorn meat (but for whatever reason I was disappointed there wasn't any). It's a bar. I don't know what I was expecting. If it was in my neighborhood I would go all the time. read more

DOG FRIENDLY! Plus Pool, Big Buck Hunter, Pop-a-Shot, and Golden Tee. Fun place to drink a malt beerverage. read more

LOVE the vibe and the bartenders there!!! What a cool little dive bar

First time at this bar. I really enjoyed myself it's a cute little place and very clean nice staff and friendly customer service. Will be going back. read more

My first experience would be reviewed as this: Really great atmosphere. Great drinks. Bartenders are attentive and friendly. Sounds pretty good huh? My second experience here wasnt quite like that. A friend and I came in strictly to play a couple of rounds of darts and enjoy a drinks. When we arrived at 11:05pm a band had just finished playing and started breaking down their equipment. Not only were the drums in the way of the dart board, but they were staging their packed gear on the pool table as well. It is now 12:30am and the drums still havent moved. For one, letting drunk people who have no drumming experience bang on drums is annoying and a unprofessional business practice. Another thing, when an intoxicated person is falling on the floor not once but twice, its time to find that said person a ride home. Managers need to be more proactive in making this bar a place people outside the staff's circle of friends want to hang out. read more

Fun neighborhood bar. Great happy hour specials and the most amazing pandora station I've heard in a while (seeded with the clash with loads of ups and downs). read more

Bill is amazing!!! Chase was also!! Super nice, efficient and they pay attention to peoples needs! Thank you for a great first date and a second coming with our best friends!! Great local bar! read more

Truly an amazing spot, great warm service... manager was very warming. Will be back

Best local bar in San Diego, well one of them! I love the amazing rotating beer selections and the cocktails are tasty. You can play bar games with friends and enjoy a lot of televisions. It's dog friendly and you can bring in food inside to eat. read more

Sidecar - Dive Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

This awesome little spot is more than just a neighborhood watering hole. The friendly, family-like staff does a great job of creating a great atmosphere for the no-frills, comfortable vibe. The drinks are fairly priced with tons of great deals on the menu, and the bar keeps a number of fun live music events happening. Its Tuesday open mic is one of the more notable ones in the area, as well, bringing together new quality musicians and a cast of talented and supportive regulars. The crowd is laid-back but fun, and it's been a great place to meet people. read more

One of the best little dive bars around. Prices are good. Cool bar tenders. If you looking for frills keep going. Want good drinks good service this is the place. read more

Where do I start, I've been coming to Sidecar for about 3 years now and from day one I was in love! The staff, the vibe, everything about it is amazing. The owner Jessie obviously knows what he's doing cuz his staff loves him and so do his customers. I have an annual Friendsgiving every year and this year my location spot became unavailable, two days before my Friendsgiving I came by for a beer and to randomly see if they would let me just bust up with a whole thanksgiving dinner and friends, randomly and on short notice. Without hesitation they told me it would be no problem! Then to top it all off we got a little hookup (which seriously was unexpected and so nice) I've bartended for 10 years now and I've never seen a bar run so smoothly. I come to Sidecar every year for my birthday and it's the best tradition I have! I tell almost everyone I know about this amazing spot because honestly everyone should know about it! Thank you to the Sidecar team for always making me feel welcome and like family! You guys are all amazing! Bill, Cassandra, and Chase thank you for accommodating us and being such badass bartenders. read more

Sidecar is a great place to go for a casual drink with friends and to play a couple of games. We find ourselves going here a few times a month, especially if it's a late night and we just want some burritos and a beer. I love the fact that they allow dogs inside, and that they almost always have a decent food truck parked outside. Will be coming here again soon! read more

As a grad student at University of San Diego, I am regularly at the university until well past 10 PM. Sidecar is my savior. The cocktails are a bit pricier than they should be, but they are always good. There is generally free popcorn provided by a machine in the back. I wish there were a kitchen, but the food trucks out front always provide gooey, cheesy, fried sustenance that pairs perfectly with the only slightly divey scene. Speaking of which, the crowd is highly variable and perfectly suited to people watching. Regardless of the slightly too high price of drinks, and the lack of an in house menu, you will generally find me there on Friday nights, rinsing off the week with a nice, strong Sidecar (their signature drink, and a tasty one!). read more

Great bar, great bartenders w/ a chill vibe. Food trucks are pretty good too. Craft cocktails and drafts are always changing. Live music is always local and good. I drive passed a few other spots just to come here. read more

Stopped by this locally driven dive bar. Taco truck/ stand outside, Board , table and machine games inside. The staff all were pretty easy going and the atmosphere was the same! If your looking for a chill place, check it out! read more

This is one of the greatest bars in San Diego. Allows dogs, allows outside food (no kitchen), basketball arcade games, pool, music, not crazy cheap but cheap, craft beer & coots light, full liquor and then some (spicy ginger beer is nuts), and best of all it hates people who aren't friendly. You can literally be dressed suit and tie, skinny jeans, or homeless and if you are friendly it's generally a good time. read more

My favorite bar in town hands down. Try the Old Fashioned! Great atmosphere with great bartenders. Food trucks made for great food as well.

Love this place. Great staff, friendly customers, cool vibe and games (if you so wish). The only drawback (so far) is lack of grub. I was under the impression they have food trucks visiting, but not when I was there. read more

Pretty incredible spot. Usually there is one or two things wrong with a bar and you overlook them, But this place is solid across the board. the knowledgeable and really humorous staff, the beer, the ambiance - if you one of those rare people who like to have fun. Seems like it brings in the good people too. I'd go here every day if something like that wasn't deemed very odd. read more

Absolute coolest, hippest place in this part of San Diego.Met fantastic people last night. Great food, drinks and artistic atmosphere.

I'm surprised this has a lot of views. I supposed it's exciting to have a fairly decent bar in this part of town but it lacks luster. I judge a bar mostly by the bartenders and you can tell they are all caught in their little dramatic worlds. Its like when I was a waitress and once you go through the kitchen doors you feel a bit more uncensored. Except with these bartenders you're like watching what should be behind closed doors. The overall crowd here isn't my scene either. Maybe one day it'll come around. read more

The perfect neighborhood bar for my friends and I!! Awesome friendly bartenders!! Cheers to Bill, Jesse, Chase, Trish and Adrian Great selection of beers and cocktails are on point read more